Over the course of more than 17 seasons and more than 1,400 games, you'd think Joe Sakic had seen it all and done it all.

As he crossed the threshold into the visiting dressing room Thursday night at the Pengrowth Saddledome, after having just scored his 599th and 600th career goals and chipped in with three helpers to inspire a vital 7-5 comeback win over the Calgary Flames for the Colorado Avalanche, his teammates stopped what they were doing, stood and applauded.

Joe Sakic is only the 17th player in NHL history to reach 600 career goals.

A standing ovation from his peers.

"Never had that happen before," he admitted, looking a trifle flustered.

It usually happens only when someone's out on the ice in a suit, eyes glistening, surrounded by family, gazing up dumbstruck as his jersey is being hoisted to the rafters.

When his story is over.

Joe Sakic still has a chapter or two left in him to write.

Here, then, we pay homage to Quoteless Joe, the superstar who shuns the spotlight like a mob squealer holed up somewhere in Arizona in a witness protection program.

At 37, a time when others of his quality and legacy began to wind down, a time when an athlete thinks about moving into the TV booth or into upper management, Sakic continues to defy time, he wins games and sets the standard for others to follow. He tries to push his way into the top 10 in scoring, holding off prodigious whippersnappers such as Russian phenom Evgeni Malkin and "new" NHL icons like the diminutive Daniel Briere.

Sakic became only the 15th man in history to reach 600 career goals, and he's done it all for one organization (albeit in two cities). That night, the Avs trailed 2-0 and 4-2 to a team that this season has made its rink a veritable bone yard for transgressors. But while facing reigning Vezina Trophy winner Miikka Kiprusoff, Colorado did not sag, did not buckle, did not give up hope.

Silent Joe simply would not allow it.

These are no longer the bulked-up Avalanche of the Stanley Cup glory years, turning out perennial championship contenders. No Saint Patrick. No Peter the Great. No Ray. No Footie. No Drury. No Tanguay.

There's just Sakic.

If they do crack the top eight in a fiercely competitive Western Conference, know that No. 19 will have added significantly to his Hall of Fame portfolio.

This is not a person who wallows in nostalgia. And perhaps his insistence on looking ahead and not behind is the very thing that keeps him so fresh, so vital, so current -- the reason he still matters.

"He's just so well-prepared," Avs teammate Ian Laperriere said. "What he does during the season to stay in shape is what everybody else does in the summer. His conditioning is unbelievable. Sometimes you see him riding the bike in the morning and you want to say, 'Hey, didn't you play 25 minutes last night?' But what he does obviously works. We're talking about one of the top 10 players of all time.

"When you think of how many goals he's scored in this league … "

In the wake of No. 600, when asked about his very first NHL goal way back in 1988, when the Avalanche were still "Les Nordiques" and playing at Le Colisee in beautiful Quebec City, Sakic appeared momentarily stumped.

"I think Robert Picard set it up," he said. "The other guy? I don't know. You'd have to check. I was at the side of the net. [Picard] passed it over and I kind of poked it into the net. At least, that's how I remember it."

The goalie?

"Sean Burke."

OK, as someone apparently unimpressed by 600 goals, what, in his opinion, would be a milestone worth celebrating?

"Patty Roy's all-time [goaltending] games-played record," Sakic replied. "That was fantastic. Being on the ice, being a small part of that, was really special."

Since arriving from the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League, nothing Joe Sakic has done has been small. And for all the accolades he's received through the years, they are nothing at all like what he's deserved. Because that side of the game simply is of no interest to him.

In his previous life as a Los Angeles King, Laperriere's job description was partly to get under the skin of the opposition's top guns. Being out West, he had many occasions to run into Joe Sakic.

"Oh, sure, you chirp at guys -- nothing personal, but about their game -- to try and throw them off, try and get an edge, make them think about something other than what they're supposed to be doing," Laperriere said. "But what could a guy like me possibly say to a guy like him? He's won Stanley Cups and Olympic gold medals. He just goes about his job, not saying much, being the best player on the ice at both ends.

"So why would he pay any attention to anything a guy like me had to say? Besides, if I did say anything to him on one shift, he'd just turn around and embarrass me on the next one. No, best to keep your mouth shut."

"He's playing as well as at any point in his career," said an awestruck (and thankful) Colorado coach Joel Quenneville. "I think the greatest thing you can say about Joe is that when he does retire, whenever that might be, he'll probably be still at the top of his game.

"How many players can honestly say that?"

The answer, of course, is: very, very few. Six hundred goals and counting and no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

"I'm trying to put into words," Laperriere said, "what he's meant to this franchise. What he still means to this franchise." A helpless shrug. "I guess 'everything' is about the best way to put it."

DENVER (AP) -Colorado Avalanche defenseman Jordan Leopold will miss approximately four weeks after tests revealed a fractured wrist, team officials said Tuesday.

Leopold, who hurt his wrist in the third period against Calgary last Thursday night, had the MRI exam on Monday. He is scheduled for surgery this week.

It's the third significant injury this season for Leopold. He missed the first 25 games of the season as he recovered from offseason hernia surgery and then another 17 games due to a groin injury he suffered in December.

Leopold has missed the last two games - both Avalanche losses - because of the wrist injury.

NORTH LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A University of Southern California hockey goalie put on a show, but it had nothing to do with stopping shots. Mickey Meyer rode his stick like a horse, dropped his bulky pants, mooned the crowd and slapped his buttocks during a game against Brigham Young University, police said.

"I had my fill of these refs," Meyer said on an Internet broadcast of the game, according to The Herald-Journal of Logan.

It will be up to prosecutors whether to pursue a case against him.

"This is a small town," North Park police Sgt. John Italasano said. "This was a college team playing and hockey's a wild game. Sometimes things get out of hand."

Meyer's antics occurred while play was stopped and referees were trying to sort out penalties in the third period of a consolation game in the ACHA West Regional tournament at Eccles Ice Center.

The junior from Clinton, N.Y., was "riding his hockey stick like a horse and slapping his butt," North Park Officer Mike Stauffer said in a report.

After pulling down his pants, Meyer slapped his bare bottom several times, Stauffer said.
_________

NORTH LOGAN, Utah (AP) -- A University of Southern California hockey goalie put on a show, but it had nothing to do with stopping shots. Mickey Meyer rode his stick like a horse, dropped his bulky pants, mooned the crowd and slapped his buttocks during a game against Brigham Young University, police said.

"I had my fill of these refs," Meyer said on an Internet broadcast of the game, according to The Herald-Journal of Logan.

It will be up to prosecutors whether to pursue a case against him.

"This is a small town," North Park police Sgt. John Italasano said. "This was a college team playing and hockey's a wild game. Sometimes things get out of hand."

Meyer's antics occurred while play was stopped and referees were trying to sort out penalties in the third period of a consolation game in the ACHA West Regional tournament at Eccles Ice Center.

The junior from Clinton, N.Y., was "riding his hockey stick like a horse and slapping his butt," North Park Officer Mike Stauffer said in a report.

After pulling down his pants, Meyer slapped his bare bottom several times, Stauffer said.
_________

Bwahaahahaahahahaha!

That's about the only move I might be interested in seeing Theodore do...

By the way what is up with him continually hitching up his pants? It is constant. Just let 'em fall Jose....

NAPLES, Fla. -- Remember at the end of "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," when Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach are all standing there, guns drawn, waiting for someone to make the first move? Waiting to see who would back down and who would flinch?

That's the cat-and-mouse game now being played out between NHL general managers.
Todd Bertuzzi
Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images
Todd Bertuzzi could be moved before Tuesday's deadline.

For three days here, GMs haggled and harrumphed and metaphorically kicked the tires on more than a dozen players who could be had before the trade deadline. Apart from a minor deal -- the New York Islanders' acquisition of Edmonton defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron on Sunday for a prospect playing in Russia -- there was no movement.

But there will be. Now, it's just a question of who blinks first.

The sellers, who are in a minority and hold the balance of power with assets that might yield a Stanley Cup, have set the bar high in terms of asking price. Players such as Bill Guerin, Keith Tkachuk and Gary Roberts are commanding a first-round pick plus a prospect.

Will the market come down?

"I know if it doesn't, we'll be sitting on the sidelines," Anaheim GM Brian Burke said.

Maybe. Or is Burke trying to bluff his way into a player he wants by trying to scare potential trade partners into believing he'd rather walk away than give up too much?

The same questions will be asked of GMs Jacques Martin of Florida and Larry Pleau in St. Louis, who have between them probably six of the most interesting potential trade baubles: Tkachuk, Guerin, Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Jozef Stumpel, Ed Belfour and Todd Bertuzzi.

Are they prepared to keep what they've got rather than lower their prices and get at least something for players who are potential free agents and may walk away for free on July 1?

"Will it get less or will it get more? That's the gamble everyone takes. That's the poker," said Pleau, whose team won again Tuesday night and remains 10 points out of the playoffs in the Western Conference.

Could teams try to bluff sellers into lowering their price?

"That could very easily happen. Injuries are going to affect everything from now until Tuesday. How teams play. Winning and losing. There's a lot of things that are going to affect it in the next week or so," Pleau said.

Darcy Regier, for instance, was watching his Sabres pummel Philadelphia on Tuesday night, but also learned he had lost a sixth player to injury, Daniel Paille, who suffered a broken finger and will miss 2 to 3 weeks. Regier has salary cap issues, but would like to move backup netminder Martin Biron for help up front.

Toronto GM John Ferguson believes the logjam will break, and sooner than later.

"I do still think you're going to see some movement. A fair bit of movement," Ferguson said. "There are a number of top guys on defined seller teams that just haven't fallen yet. But I think that'll come, and I think it'll come soon. I think you'll see trades coming on the weekend. Teams prefer not to get jammed right up to Tuesday."

The issue, for all teams, is risk versus reward.

Nashville and Dallas already have committed significant assets to acquire Peter Forsberg and Ladislav Nagy, respectively. Whether they paid too much won't be known for weeks, but at least GMs David Poile and Doug Armstrong don't have to worry about getting the players they wanted.

With their latest string of injuries, the Sabres might have to deal goalie Martin Biron.

There is considerable pressure on Ferguson, for instance, to make a move to shore up his forward corps, perhaps with a player like Guerin. But Ferguson must weigh the long-term costs to a team he is just beginning to rebuild.

"You always have a temptation and you weigh everything," said Ferguson, whose squad dropped a 3-0 decision to Boston on Tuesday. "But going back over the years, this club is still affected by some of the short-term thinking that did not result in the success that we are looking for. That is part of what we are dealing with right now."

The Leafs are part of a logjam of Eastern Conference teams as 10 points separates third through 11th. Carolina is another part of that group, holding on to the eighth and final playoff berth as of Wednesday morning, one point ahead of Toronto and the New York Islanders, both of whom have two games in hand.

"I was hoping to make a trade here. Especially with the injured guys we've got. And we don't have a lot of time left," Carolina GM Jim Rutherford said.

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins appear locked into a playoff berth despite their youth. It has added another dynamic for rookie GM Ray Shero, who didn't expect to have to be dealing with the lure of making trade deadline acquisitions.

"I always say the same thing. I don't want our players or coaches expecting something. I like the team the way they are," Shero said.

With the asking price so high, it's easier for Shero to take that position than many of his colleagues.

"I know who we're not going to move -- prospects. I know my plan out two or three years from now. I have a pretty good idea of the young guys who should be on our hockey club. I don't want to be giving that up," Shero said. "The price certainly is high and some teams will pay it. That's been proven so far. But every team is different."

Cue the Ennio Morricone score.

More from Naples ...

• The closest thing to actual breaking news at the meetings was an unfortunate mix-up involving a carload of general managers who inadvertently drove away from their posh hotel in the wrong car. The car, which looked exactly like their rightful model, was sitting near where they'd left it at the valet parking stand. They assumed, incorrectly as it turned out, the car was theirs and headed out to dinner. Several hours later, the general managers returned to find local authorities talking to the owner of the missing car who had no idea how his vehicle had disappeared.

• Tuesday's trade deadline marks one of the great pseudo-holidays in Canada as every national sports television and radio network will devote hours to trades, real or imagined.

To spice up their day, and to guard against the long, dull periods when no players are actually being traded, Canada's Sportsnet is dressing up its coverage with the women from the Canadian version of the hit game show "Deal Or No Deal." Instead of suitcases, though, the panel of hockey experts will be shown hockey sticks with players' names on the blade and they will debate, "Trade or no trade."

The network also has hired an artist, who will begin Tuesday morning painting a mural, featuring the likenesses of all the players dealt.

"I'm bringing balls to juggle, but I hope I don't have to use them," former NHL tough guy and current Sportsnet lead analyst Nick Kypreos quipped.

• Columbus forward Fredrik Modin is on the verge of signing a contract extension that would take him off the rental-player market. The Blue Jackets still are shopping forward Anson Carter, who had 33 goals a season ago in Vancouver. It was believed Carolina's Rutherford was interested, but he left the GM meetings without adding skill to his third line.

The new "my NHL" ads featuring players off the ice are a step in the right direction for a league that generally has no clue how to market their great sport. But I think they should go even further to create some sort of buzz. I think a couple of good, controversial ads will finally get the sports media talking hockey.

How about an ad with a couple of players playing with their pets, then cutting to words saying, "My NHL: Our players don't kill dogs". Or an ad showcasing the All-Star game saying, "My NHL: our All-Star weekend didn't devolve into a gangbangers fantasy".

I find the commercial with the Sedin twins to be...well...uh...distrubing

What were Mary Kate & Ashley doing in said commercial Jori? Nursing their teddy bears?

My all time favorite NHL commercial is from easily over a decade back on ESPN. Keith Tkachuk was skating along the boardwalk in Santa Monica (or somewhere) and some broad had locked her keys in her car. Tkachuk "checked" her window...smashing it...and said "You're welcome"...and skated off proud to have helped...happy music playing in the background. The camera pans back to the lady...her jaw dropped...mixed with disbelief and outrage.

Those guys all get the recognition and Carle too but I think Travis Zajac of New Jersey is also really impressive. Almost every time I watch them he stands out to me. I really, really like Zajac.

There is a hell of a lot of top notch young talent all across the NHL right now. Some simply fantastic players. Be prepared to watch as Bettman make's sure that no one outside of hockey fans ever hears their names.

There is a hell of a lot of top notch young talent all across the NHL right now. Some simply fantastic players. Be prepared to watch as Bettman make's sure that no one outside of hockey fans ever hears their names.

Yeah, it is depressing to see that the marketing of this league and the young talent is very poor. Doesnt look promising for the future either with Bettman getting that extension and Versus also getting an extension for a few more years for their NHL coverage.

For Pete's sake Francois, start selling. Teams are paying minibar prices right now to load up for the playoffs and the Avs are sitting on some assets that could be turned into some serious picks/prospects at the current going rate.